The Twelve Cats of Christmas
by Robinwing16
Summary: There are twelve cats, three from each clan, who share a prophecy. Whach their journey unfold as the descover the meaning of Christmas. Will they stay in their clans or create a new one? If so, will it survive the harsh winters ahead? They don't know where they should go or when. Will they stay in the territory they grew up in, or travel to unknown and uncharted territory?
1. Prologue

"They should be able to celebrate it even if it is twoleg related," growled a grey tabby she-cat to a silver tabby she-cat. "Millie they don't know what that is, how can they celebrate it," the silver tabby spat back. She let her hackles rise and Millie unsheathed her claws. "So what?! I could teach them what it is, Silverstream," Millie hissed.

Their argument was cut off by the sound of cats laughing. Silverstream and Millie turned to see what was going on. There was a team race with five groups, two cats in each group. "How is it that we're so much faster than you two, Jayfeather," the flame colored tom asked. Silverstream and Millie weren't paying attentions to what he said, they were staring at the dark gray tabby tom standing beside him laughing.

"If you're faster than us than were rabbits," a gray tabby tom yowled as he and a black she cat ran past the two toms. "Now," the yowl came from a smaller silver tabby she-cat who looked quite like Silverstream. At the signal two teams, one of the silver tabby and a brown she-cat and the other of a dark ginger she-cat with one white paw and a brown tabby-and white she-cat, ran across the meadow. They swerved around the dark gray tabby and the flame colored tom, knocking them off balance and kicking dust in their eyes. "That's not fair, you four cheated," the dark grey tabby yowled.

"No we didn't Graystripe, we simply made it harder for you and Firestar to beat us," the small brown she-cat stopped to yowl back. "Come on, Briarlight, Squirrelflight and Leafpool are beating us. If we have a chance in beating Jayfeather and Hollyleaf we have to beat everyone else first," the silver tabby urged. Briarlight spun around. "I'm coming Feathertail, I'm coming," she replied.

While Graystripe and Firestar balanced themselves an washed the dirt out of their eyes, the fifth group came running through the meadow. A gray she-cat and a red-ish-ginger-and-white she-cat bolted past the group of toms, Feathertail, Briarlight, Squirrelflight, and Leafpool. Soon they were right behind Jayfeather and Hollyleaf. The red-ish-ginger-and-white she-cat pushed off harder an was ahead of the two cats. "You guys are slow, hurry up Cinderheart, or we won't win," she called back to her teammate.

"I'm coming, Robinwing," Cinderheart answered. She raced up to Robinwing and they made a mad dash towards the river, which was their finish line. "We win," Robinwing yowled. "We got second place," Hollyleaf panted. "Hello, Silverstream, Millie. How are you," Cinderheart turned to the two she-cats who had just padded up.

"Good and you," Silverstream replied. "Tired," Robinwing giggled. "Look Briarlight and Feathertail are ahead of the others. Go Feathertail! Go Briarlight! Go, go, go," Hollyleaf cheered them on.

As the two cat continued their race towards the finish line, Silverstream told the others about the argument she and Millie had. "What's Christmas," Briarlight asked, hearing the last bit of the conversation. "It's the season of giving, that's what it is," Millie answered. "If it's a time of giving, then the clans should learn it," Robinwing meowed in her official tone. "But I've seen three cats from each clan who might understand it better that the others would," Millie concluded.

"Then why don't we tell those twelve cats to travel to find better territory, and create a clan," Leafpool suggested, having been a medicine cat her suggestions are always taken to mind. "That's actually a good idea, Leafpool," Jayfeather commented. "R-really," she seemed shocked that her son was saying she had a good idea. "Yes, we should send a prophecy of twelve to the previous medicine cats if the clans," Hollyleaf chimed. "Then it's settled, we'll send a prophecy, not only to the medicine cats but to the twelve cats as well," Silverstream said wisely. "It'll be like the twelve days of Christmas, but with cats," Millie added.


	2. Chapter 1

_Several moons after the rule of Mistystar, Onestar, Blackstar, and Bramblestar..._

Carolpaw and her two littermates, Hollypaw and Redpaw, were on their hunting assessment when she started to realize something. The three of them each had a single patch of red fur on their pelts. Hollypaw had one red paw on her, completely black as night, pelt and verdant green eyes. Redpaw had a big red patch on his nose, but every where else was his brown pelt, black paws, white chest and belly, and his stubby tail that had been chomped off by a badger when he was younger. And she herself had a single red symbol on her chest, but it was one no cat could understand until leafbare.

That's when she and her brother and sister sang carols. That's what she was named after. Her symbol, which was a treble clef, was a music note. Lucky enough for her leafbare wasn't very far away. She hadn't noticed how far she had run until she was skidding to a halt so she wouldn't cross the RiverClan border. She stood with the moorland wind blowing through her fur.

Then she started. She made the sound only she and her littermates could make. She was whistling. She wasn't just whistling, she was calling to any birds that could hear her. The best part about it is that Hollypaw and Redpaw were able to sense when she whistled. But this was really important to her she had to impress her mentor, Crowstar, so she whistled even louder.

She kept whistling while she pounced on the small birds. She had caught three by the time she got what she was waiting for. There was a beating of wings above her. A shadow whisked over her. She spun around at the sound of a screech.

She had called an eagle. She leapt to meet the bird in mid flight. She landed squarely on its chest and pinned it to the ground. Then she delivered the killing bite. To her surprise she heard another screech behind her.

_Two, _Carolpaw thought happily. This time she dodged the talons, and attacked from behind. She grabbed its head in her jaws and jerked backwards, breaking its neck. "That was a very nice catch," she turned at the sound of Crowstar's voice. "Thank you," she spoke for the first time that day.

"This will feed the whole clan! I'm not sure we'll be able to carry it all back to camp," her mentor purred with delight. The thought of her clan being well fed this leafbare made her happy. "Did I pass my assessment, Crowstar," she asked. "Yes, and very well at that," he replied.

The had to make three trips to bring back all the prey she caught. It turns out Redpaw and Hollypaw caught the same amount as her in rabbits and smaller birds. "I haven't seen an eagle since Crowstar received his warrior name," Ashfoot commented. The was a look of pure wonder on the elder's face. She, along with Owlwhisker and Whitetail, were the only elders the clan had. She was also Crowstar's mother.

Carolpaw giggled at the embarrassed look on his face. "That was several moons ago," he tried to push the subject away. Ashfoot just have a small smile and brought a rabbit to her denmates. Once she was out of earshot, Crowstar leaned down and whispered in his apprentice's ear, "I'm just surprised she can remember that far back." Then they both laughed quietly.

Carolpaw looked around the camp to see where her siblings had gone. Of course, being Heathertail's apprentice, she found Hollypaw talking with Mintfur. He was the medicine cat and Heathertail was his mother. He always seemed to cast longing glances at the ThunderClan forest for short periods of time as if he was waiting for something. Carolpaw had heard what happened in ThunderClan moons before, and she guessed he felt bad for Goldenheart, ThunderClan's medicine cat, having lost her mother, sister, and mentor. But Carolpaw knew more than that.

She then saw Redpaw where he normally is, talking with his mentor Boulderfur and Furzepelt, who was Boulderfur's sister. Suddenly, she hand an idea. What better for her to do when she's bored than sing? She started slowly and quietly with 'Minka,' which is a very fast song. Before starting to sing she looked around the camp.

"Deck the hall with boughs of holly, tis the season to be jolly, ready now for winter's folly. Fa la la la la," she sang and few cats grew quiet to listen. She sang a little louder this time. "Follow me in merry measure heedless of the wind and weather, sing we joyous all together. Fa la la la la," she continued.

The song became slower for the next verse. "What a wonderful time of year when those we love are very, very near. Friends and family gather here, sharing all this merry Christmas cheer," Hollypaw, who was an alto, finally decided to join in on that verse. The next verse was Redpaw's favorite part, as a tenor, he couldn't help but join the alto and soprano. Seeing how bright his eyes were, Carolpaw giggled.

"Jingle bells ring all the way in a one horse open sleigh, o'er the fields we go today. Fa la la la la," they sang. The apprentices sand louder for the last part. "Singing makes our spirits bright, sing a sleighing song tonight, jingle, jingle, what a sight. Fa la la la la," they chorused in perfect harmony.

The next verse was a little confusing and wonderful since hollypaw had to sing "What a wonderful time of year," again, while Redpaw and Carolpaw had to sing "Deck the hall," again. Finally, the end of the song came. They all had different parts, with Carolpaw going the highest, Hollypaw going the lowest, and Redpaw staying in the middle. "Sing together, fa la la!" As the clan cheered for them the tok a bow and sat back down.

_Today is the best day ever, _Carolpaw thought to herself. She knew it'd get better by night fall. She knew what she did was against the warrior code, but she would always stay loyal to one thing. Her heart. But she felt something going on outside the camp, she didn't know what it was, but it made her fur prick.


End file.
